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GOAL, ASH, 0R GRAVEL SIFTER.

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STEPHEN SEELEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND VILLAM E. LANGLEY, OFBURLINGTON, VERMONT.

COAL, ASH, OR GRAVEL Sli-"TER,

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 344,603, dated Juno 29,1886.

Application tiled February 1, 1886. Serial No. 190,430. (No mozlel.) i

To coZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, STEPHEN SEELEY, of Boston, county of Suffolk, andState of Massa-- chusetts, and WILLIAM E. LANGLEY, of Burlington, countyof Chittenden, and State of Vermont, have invented an Improvement inCoal, Ash, or Gravel Sifters, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specication, like 1oletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to construct a coal, ash, or gravelsifter whereby the material to be sift-ed is passed through two or morescreen-compartments, the meshes ofthe screen i 5 of each compartmentbeing of different size, so that particles of different degrees ofineness may be separated from the material, and each grade or degreecollected by itself.

The invention consists, substantially as hereinafter particularly setforth and claimed, in the combination, with two or more revolvingcompartments having screen-walls to receive the material to be sifted orgraded, of pivoted valves, which when closed separate the saidcompartments, and when open permit thematerial to pass from onecompartment to another. The screen-covered compartments, placed end toend to thus form a continuous chute when the valves are opened, aremounted upon an inclined rotating shaft, that the material may pass bygravity from one to another compartment. The inclined rotating shaft hasits bearings in asuit-able frame-work, the bed of which is provided withsuitable partitions located 5 beneath t-he divisionwalls of thecompartments, to prevent the material once sifted from againcommingling.

rlhe rotating shaft is driven either by hand or by power, as desired.

Figure l shows in side elevation a coal, ash, or gravel sifterconstructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2, a crosssection ofFig. 1, taken on the dotted line xx; Fig. 3, a righthand end view ofFig. l 5 Fig. 4, a detail showing the exit end of the revolvingcompartments,

and Fig. 5 an elevation of a tool employed by the operator for openingand closing the valves.

The bed A of the frame-work has suitable uprights, a a', which serve asbearings for the 5o main rotating shaft a2, placed at an angle withrelation to the bed A. A hub, a3, is mounted upon the inclined rotatingshaft a2, from which spokes a4 radiate, which latter support a ri ug orframe, a5, having a toothed periphery, as at 2, and a flange, e", towhich the screen al, bent 55, into frusto-eonical shape, is secured byscrews as, a suitable band, a, passing around the iiauge a, to cover theragged edges of the screen. The opposite end ot' the screen ai issecured to aring or frame, al, of less diameter than the ring a5, and aband, a, also encircles the said ring. Thus a frusto-conieal compartmentor chamber is formed. The ring or frame am is supported by across-piece, b, iXed to the inclined rotating shaft a2, said cross-piecehaving valves b b2, here shown as hinged thereto at opposite sides, andof such dimensions that, when closed, a division-wall is formed, closingthe exit of the said compartment. Another screen, c, bent intofrusto-eonical shape, surrounds the inclined rotating shaft a2, one endof the said screen being secured to the ring er frame am, while itsopposite end is secured to a ring or frame, c, by screws c, the saidring or frame c being of less dia-meter than the ring 75 aw, andsupported by a erosspiece, c, xed to the said shaft c2, so that a secondfrusto-conical compartment is formed, similar to the first one abovedescribed.

The meshes of the screen c, forming the walls of the second compartment,are larger than the meshes of the screen to permit particles to passthrough which could not pass through the said screen al.

Suitable ribs or braces, 4 5 6 7, located on S5 the outside and insideof the screens a7 and c, respectively, are secured to each other byscrews or other fastenings 8, to retain the surface of the screens inposition and protect them from harm. Thus it will be seen that when thevalves b b2 are open a continuons frustoconical chute is formed, throughwhich the material passes, the finer particles passing through thescreen al, and the next grade through the screen c, while the largestparticles pass from g5 the second compartment through its open end.(Shown in Fig. 4.)

The valves b b2 are permitted to be opened and closed by a turn-button,d, mounted loosely upon the shaft a2, the opposite arms of the roobutton bearing upon the said valves.

The turn-button d is herein shown as rotated Y tion to catch. the same.

by a hand-tool, constructed as shown in Fig. 5, it consisting of thehandle l5, having the shank 16, and the hooked end 17, which latterengages one of the pins cl, projecting from the ends of the arms of theturn-button, the tool being inserted through one of the meshes of thescreen c, yet it is obvious that other means may be devised for turningthe button d when desired, which may be equally as efficient.

I have herein shown the inclined rotating shaft as driven by a toothedwheel, e, mounted upon' a shaft, c', having its bearings in the nprightc2, and rotated by a crank, e, said toothed wheelemeshi ng with thetoothed ring or frame a5, yet it is obvious that if it is desired todrive the sifter by power a belt-pulley,f, fixed to the rotating shaftand driven by any suitable means, may be substituted therefor.

The coal, ashes, or gravel to be sifted is fed into the sifter in thedirection of the arrow 2, over the curved shield l0, secured to theframework, its free edge overlapping the inner surface of the ring orframe a5, the valves b b2 being at such time closed. The inclined shaftc2 is then rotated, while the finer particles pass through the screena7, falling upon the bedAv or into any suitable receptacle placed inposi- The valves b b2 are then opened, and the material passes into thesecond` compartment, the next grade particles passing through the screenc, while the largest particles pass out of the open end of the saidsecond compartment.

Suitable partitions, g g, are secured to the bed A, beneath thedivision-walls of the compartments, if desired, to preventthe si f'tedparticles from again commingling.

It will be seen that by the sifter herein described coal, ashes, gravel,or other material may be separated into numerous degrees of 4o -terialto be sifted, the rotating shaft a2 therefor, and pivoted valvesinterposed between and completely separating said compartments, andadapted to be opened tov establish communication between them, allarranged substantially as described.

2. A coal, ash, or gravel sifter comprising two or more revolvingfrusto-conical screencompartments of different mesh, hinged valvesinterposed between said compartments and completely separating them, andadapted to be opened to establish communication between the adjacentcompartments, and partitions g g', substantially asv described.

3. A coal, ash, or gravel sifter comprising two or more compartments tosuccessively receive the material to be sifted, means to rotate thesame, and hinged valves b b2, interposed between said compartments, andprovided with a turnbutton, d, constructed and arranged substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEW SEELEY.

VIL'LIAM E. LANG-LEY.

Witnesses:

BERN. J. Novias, C. M. GONE.

